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You’ve probably heard it before; a loud popping or banging sound comes from a vehicle passing by, ranging from a light pop to what could be mistaken for a gunshot depending on the severity of the issue or type of exhaust setup.

One of the main responsibilities of your exhaust is to help make your vehicle as quiet as possible. If you hear loud backfire and popping from your tailpipe and don’t have it set up to do that intentionally, it can be concerning.

While some automotive enthusiasts will tune their vehicles to produce this popping sound in a (more) healthy and sustainable way for the motor and emissions equipment, the vast majority of the time it’s something that should be avoided and addressed promptly when it happens. 

So what’s making this noise occur, and will it cause any damage to your vehicle? In this article, we’ll go over these questions and what to do if you’re experiencing a similar issue!

What Makes Exhausts Pop?

Internal combustions rely on, well… internal combustion within the cylinder. When something goes wrong and one of these explosions happens externally instead, you get the loud banging sound we’re discussing.

This often happens when unburned fuel is able to escape through the exhaust valve. The fuel will make contact with the hot exhaust pipes, and eventually combust, creating a mini explosion within your exhaust. 

A similar issue occurs when combustion happens during the exhaust stroke as the exhaust valve is open. With the valve to the exhaust system being open, the combustion will be heard as a loud pop from the tailpipe. 

So, how does this happen in the first place? 

Causes of Exhaust Backfire

Rich Condition

When a vehicle is running “rich”, it means there is a surplus of fuel being added to the cylinders for combustion compared to the ratio of air. If running with an improper ratio, combustion will be slowed and there will be unburned fuel left in the cylinder.

This extra gasoline can combust either during the exhaust stroke or after the excess fuel has escaped into the exhaust system, causing the startling bang sound. 

Rich conditions are caused by various mechanical issues, including a failed mass airflow sensor, faulty O2 sensor, leaking injectors, and many more. If you’re experiencing a rich fuel mixture, avoid driving your vehicle and have it inspected by a trusted automotive professional.

Bad Timing

The timing system in an engine is responsible for keeping the four processes that need to occur for proper combustion in perfect synchronization. This is most often accomplished through the use of a belt or chain, but these can be knocked out of proper timing due to problems with the chain/belt itself or the tensioner. 

When any of these four strokes happen a tick early or late, it can cause problems with combustion. When full combustion has not occurred, there may be leftover fuel pushed into the exhaust system leading to backfire. 

Timing issues need to be taken very seriously, as they have the potential to cause catastrophic engine failure. 

Faulty Spark Plug(s)

Spark plugs play one of the most crucial roles in the combustion within an engine, creating ignition. These plugs rely on short electrical pulses to ignite the air/fuel mixture and push the piston. 

If the spark plugs or any accompanying electrical components such as fuses and wires encounter an issue it may leave unburned fuel within the combustion chamber. This fuel will either combust at the improper engine stroke or be pushed into the exhaust system and combust there. This issue may be accompanied by a misfire code from your check engine light. 

Exhaust Service & Repair at Matson Point S

If you’re looking for high-quality exhaust diagnostics, maintenance, and repair, the ASE Certified technicians at Matson Point S in Riverton, Utah have the expertise and equipment to properly take care of your vehicle! Give us a call or schedule online with us today.

Although gasoline and diesel engines both operate on similar principles, they have a variety of mechanical differences that make them unique from each other. One of these is the absence of spark plugs and the inclusion of glow plugs.

Why Don’t Diesel Engines Need Spark Plugs?

The answer comes down to how the combustion process happens in a diesel engine. Unlike gasoline, which needs an external spark to ignite in the combustion chamber, diesel engines rely on high compression to initiate combustion.  

Spark Plugs vs. Glow Plugs

So if diesel doesn’t need an electrical spark for combustion, what are glow plugs needed for? Glow plugs are only used for initial startup, as they heat the inside of the combustion chamber to the minimum temperature to get the engine started. Once the cycle begins, the heat for combustion is naturally generated in the compression of the diesel fuel. 

How Does a Glow Plug Work?

Glow plugs are similar in shape to spark plugs, with one extending into each cylinder of the engine. Using a filament made of materials such as platinum or iridium, the glow plugs quickly turn red hot and heat the air within the combustion chamber. 

In older diesel vehicles, the glow plugs could require up to 20 seconds of manual activation to reach the proper temperature. This is less of an issue on newer diesels, where more advanced glow plugs can reach operating temperature in just a few seconds. 

Not all diesel engines need glow plugs, however. They’re primarily used on smaller diesel engines that cannot maintain the necessary heat for ignition. Many direct-injection diesel motors forgo glow plugs, as well as larger engines that have less trouble maintaining the right internal air temperature. 

Symptoms of Faulty Glow Plugs

• Illuminated glow plug light
• Trouble starting vehicle (especially in the cold)
• Misfiring engine
• White/black smoke from exhaust
• Rough idle

How Often Should I Replace My Glow Plugs?

In general, modern glow plugs should be replaced anywhere between 80,000-100,000 miles. Their lifespan can depend on your vehicle, driving style, and various other factors. 

Glow plugs are also one of the cheaper engine components to replace, meaning you won’t have to break the bank to help ensure your diesel vehicle is running at its best. 

Glow Plug Replacement in the Salt Lake Valley

If you’re looking for quality diesel service and glow plug replacement, the ASE Certified technicians at Matson Point S in Riverton, Utah have the experience and equipment to properly take care of your vehicle! Call or schedule an appointment online with us today!

As cars are a daily part of most American’s lives, we tend to get very used to the way our specific vehicle drives, feels, looks, and even smells. This means it’s easy for most to notice small changes and issues in our vehicles immediately.

While most issues in cars affect how it feels to drive, you might also notice a change in how your vehicle smells. 

Vehicles produce a range of odors in countless ways, from the engine’s exhaust to the smell of burning oil or coolant. These smells might be noticeable, but they pale in comparison to the distinct odor of rotten eggs emanating from your vehicle. It’s hard to miss.

4 Reasons Your Car Might Smell of Sulfur/Rotten Eggs

Bad Catalytic Converter

A failed catalytic converter is by far the most common reason for this less-than-desirable odor from your vehicle. 

Catalytic converters are responsible for “cleaning” the engine’s emissions by removing harmful pollutants from exhaust gasses. 

The “rotten egg” smell is often a product of hydrogen sulfide, a pollutant byproduct from combustion engines. Usually, this compound is converted into odorless sulfur dioxide by the catalytic converter, however, when there has been a failure within the catalytic converter this conversion will not take place and allow for hydrogen sulfide to exit the exhaust system. 

A failed catalytic converter can lead to a host of issues, but the most immediately noticeable might be a strong sulfur smell. If you suspect yours might be failing, you should have the problem addressed by a trusted professional as soon as possible. Otherwise, your vehicle may experience engine misfires, reduced performance, or could even catch fire.

Leaking Manual Transmission Fluid 

While the catalytic converter might be responsible for most cases of rotten egg odor, leaking transmission fluid may also be the perpetrator. 

Your vehicle’s transmission fluid helps to cool, lubricate, and provide hydraulic pressure for your gears, however, the fluid often has a pungent smell similar to the hydrogen sulfide we talked about earlier.

This generally only happens on manual transmission vehicles, as older manual transmission fluids were often sulfur-based. 

The easiest way to check this is to ensure your transmission fluid level has not dropped significantly and that there are no visible leaks around the transmission pan. If you do have a leak, it should be taken care of as soon as possible to avoid damage to your transmission. 

Failed Fuel Pressure Sensor or Fuel Filter

The fuel pressure sensor helps regulate the amount of fuel within the fuel rail. When the sensor is experiencing issues, it may allow excess fuel to enter the engine and cause the vehicle to run rich.

With this extra fuel to burn, there will be more pressure put on the catalytic converter. This can clog the catalyst, and allow unfiltered fumes to make their way through the exhaust. 

This same issue can occur with a clogged fuel filter, as it can also lead to the vehicle running rich and allowing increased pollutants from your exhaust. 

Exhaust Leaks

If the exhaust has a leak prior to the catalytic converter, the fumes leaking out will contain the pungent hydrogen sulfide. 

Most exhaust leaks will also be accompanied by increased engine noise, as they allow for sound to exit the exhaust before reaching the resonator and muffler.

Fixing this may be as simple as patching a small crack in the exhaust manifold, or could require the replacement of an exhaust component. 

Exhaust Diagnostics and Repair in Riverton

If you’re experiencing a strange smell or sound from your exhaust system, don’t delay having it diagnosed and repaired by a trusted automotive professional. 

The ASE-certified technicians at Matson Point S in Riverton have the expertise and equipment to properly inspect and repair your exhaust! Call or schedule online with us today.

Unless you spend a lot of time under your car, understanding the intricacies of how power generated by the engine reaches the wheels can be difficult. Most people know the fundamentals of how an engine and transmission work, but an often overlooked but equally important part of the drivetrain is the differential. In this article, we will dive into the differential, the last stop before your car’s power reaches the wheels. 

What is a Differential?

To understand why our vehicles have differentials, consider a running track. Each runner has a lane they must maintain, but the inside of the track is a shorter distance than the ones on the outside. To avoid allowing this unfair advantage for the inside runner, the lanes on the track are staggered in favor of the outside lanes to make up for the differences in distance.

Now take that same principle and apply it to the wheels of a vehicle. The wheel, or “runner”, on the inside of the corner you’re taking will have a shorter distance to travel than the wheel on the outside. This would cause the outside wheels to essentially be “dragged” along at the same speed as the rest of the wheels and lead to poor handling and rapid tire wear as the outside tire slips. 

To make up for this difference, differentials act as the staggered lanes, giving the outside wheel the ability to spin at its rate to maintain grip and catch up with the inside wheel despite the differences in distance. 

How Many Differentials Do Cars Use?

Differentials take the power from the engine and transfer it to two separate sides (one for each wheel being driven). Since the non-driven wheels can spin freely naturally, the differential is only connected to whichever two wheels receive power. Due to this, the majority of vehicles only use a single differential. 

The exception for this is all-wheel drive (AWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles. AWD and full-time 4WD systems employ three differentials, one between each set of wheels and one in the center of the two axles (as each axle also spins at an independent speed). 

Vehicles with part-time 4WD systems only use two differentials, and instead use a transfer case between the axles rather than a center differential. Due to this limitation, part-time 4WD vehicles struggle to handle regular streets in 4×4 mode, as the two axles are not able to spin independently. 

Types of Differentials

There are a few types of differentials out there with varying purposes you should know.

Open Differential

The most common type, open differentials uses a tried and true design that allows each wheel to spin at its speed. The sole function of this type of differential is to provide comfortable handling and limit tire wear.

Open differentials are the type of differential used on the majority of commuter vehicles due to their simple design and ability to allow the wheels to spin at different speeds at all times. 

An open differential is made up of two halves, each connected to one side of the axle and each with a gear at the end (side gears). These gears are joined in the center of the differential with spider gears, which are small gears that allow each side to rotate individually, even if one side is spinning faster than the other. The whole system is driven from the driveshaft through the ring gear and drive pinion. 

Locking Differential

Take everything we’ve said about differentials and throw it out the window. Locking differentials are a special type of differential almost exclusively used in off-road vehicles, and their purpose is to do the opposite of what a traditional differential does. A locking differential ensures that each wheel is always spinning at the same speed. 

While this may seem counterintuitive, they’re perfect solutions for certain situations. Open differentials are great for when each wheel can find traction, but what about when traction is hard to come by? Locking differentials allows 100% of the torque to be used by the only wheel that has any traction. This is useful for off-roading and other low-traction situations where you want to maximize the effect of any traction you can find. 

Limited Slip Differential (LSD)

LSDs are the best of both worlds. They allow for each wheel to spin at its rate, but also allow for torque to be distributed to the side with superior traction. Different types of LSDs detect changes in traction in different ways, but the general idea remains the same. 

LSDs are primarily found in sports cars with a focus on handling performance, as their torque-distributing abilities help provide maximum grip and control through hard cornering, especially at higher speeds. 

Differential & Drivetrain Service at Matson Point S

If you’re experiencing handling problems, noises when cornering, or other signs of a problem in your differential, trust the expert technicians at Matson Point S to take care of you! Call or schedule online with us today for high-quality differential and drivetrain services!

Spare tires have saved many of us from becoming stranded along highways or remote roads, and are a standard inclusion on most vehicles. 

In older vehicles, the spare tire was often the same tire being used on the rest of the vehicle. However, with the infrequent use of a spare, manufacturers began moving towards space-saving “donut” style spare tires, which are temporary tires much smaller and skinnier than their full-size counterparts. 

These tires are meant only to be temporary of course, but how temporary? How long can you drive on your spare tire?

Donut Spare

Space-saver spares, otherwise known as donut spares, are the size of spare tires used in most modern vehicles. These tires are smaller than the normal tire size and are only to be used for driving straight to the tire shop after encountering a flat. 

This type of spare is also inflated to a much higher tire pressure than a traditional tire. Most small/compact vehicle tires should be inflated to around 35 PSI, while donut spares often need about 60 PSI of pressure. 

These tires should be driven no longer than 50 miles, or however long it takes to get to the nearest tire shop. The difference in size and tread will cause less traction and durability than a normal tire, and the driving mechanics of the vehicle will be considerably thrown off. With the spare tire also having a smaller diameter, driving an excessive amount on your spare can cause damage to your transmission or differential. 

Full-Size Spare

On older and larger modern vehicles, it’s common to see the full-size spare instead of the donut-style spares, which have become more popular recently in the majority of vehicles.

However, full-size spares are much better in terms of longevity, as they are the same size tire that came on the car originally. This means that you can drive on a full-size spare considerably longer than a donut. 

This doesn’t mean you should settle for having a spare tire installed though, you should still have your spare swapped out for a new tire as soon as you can. Differences in tread, manufacturer, and width can make driving with it difficult. It’ll just drive more like a regular tire in the meantime.

How do I Drive Safely on a Spare?

If you run into a situation where you need to use a spare, there are some steps you can take to make sure you’re staying as safe as possible.

Don’t Drive Like You Normally Would

While it may be tempting to step on the gas and try to speed up your trip after stopping to change a flat, you should be doing the exact opposite. Since spares (especially donuts) don’t drive the same as a normal tire, you should limit your speed to around 50 MPH and give yourself more than enough time and space to safely slow down, change lanes, and take corners. 

Along with the differences in tire size and tread, using a spare can disrupt your traction control and stability control system. Without these safety mechanisms, it’s imperative to drive with caution in mind to avoid dangerous situations. 

Ensure Spare is in Proper Condition

Spares should be checked regularly for adequate tire pressure and check for any holes or leaks. The last thing you want to happen after getting a flat tire is for the spare to be flat as well. 

Before any long road trip, give it a quick look to make sure you’re prepared, especially if driving through rural stretches of highway with few tire shops along the way.

Be Extra Cautious in Bad Weather

Since the tread on spare tires is not up to the same spec as the tread on the rest of your vehicle’s tires, you should be especially careful in rain, snow, fog, or any other inclement weather conditions. Make sure to provide yourself extra time and distance to brake and turn, and drive defensively to avoid needing to drive evasively (even more than you would normally with a spare).

Run-Flat Tires

A few vehicles (namely BMWs and other luxury vehicles) may come from the factory equipped with run-flat tires. These tires are designed to temporarily drive after being punctured and follow similar driving guidelines to spare tires. Limit yourself to 50 MPH and around 50 miles of driving on the way to have it replaced. 

These tires are often labeled with ROF (Run on Flat), EMT (Extended Mobility Technology), or ZP/ZPS (Zero Pressure). These labels vary by manufacturer, but all are used to designate run-flat tires. 

Tire Replacement at Matson Point S

If you’re in the Salt Lake Valley and need a tire replaced, visit the friendly and experienced team at Matson Point S. We’ll help you choose, mount, balance, and install the right tire for your vehicle! Give us a call or schedule online today.